August 2006
Letters: 08/06
Subscribers Only Thanks for including “Safe Pain Relief” in your May 2006 issue, about our study on arthritic dogs being treated with DGP (Dog-Gone Pain). As American BioSciences’ DGP product manager, I have personally spoken to many of your subscribers since the article appeared and am amazed, but not surprised, at how knowledgeable they are. …
Heartworm Treatment
Subscribers Only For some time, biologists have been aware of and studied an organism called Wolbachia that lives symbiotically inside heartworms. But recently, study of this microscopic creature has given researchers new ideas about how to combat its host (the heartworm) to benefit its host, the dog. Wolbachia is a genus of rickettsial organisms, a microorganism positioned somewhere between viruses and true bacteria. Like viruses, they grow only in living cells, but like bacteria, they…
Is Your Dog Overweight?
This has become a nation of fat people – and fat dogs. Once again our dogs are mirroring us, no matter how bad that picture looks. It has been estimated that (depending on the survey and the way “obese” and “overweight” are defined) from about 25 percent to more than half of dogs seen by veterinarians are overweight or obese, and many practitioners feel that even these numbers grossly underestimate the true extent of the problem.
Post-Op Acupressure
During the past decade, conventional veterinary surgery has made great strides in helping dogs lead more comfortable and fuller lives. But an ancient therapy – acupressure – nicely augments the more modern medical practice and increases its benefits. Oak, a Golden Retriever puppy, is a good example of how one of the newer surgical procedures benefited and extended his life, and how acupressure improved the surgery’s effectiveness.
Accelerated Wound Healing
Subscribers Only Your dog just had surgery, stepped on broken glass, caught her tail in a door, has a puncture wound, got bit or scratched, tangled with barbed wire, or has an abrasion that came from who knows where. You want the wound to heal quickly without bleeding, pain, or infection. The following strategies help achieve that result.
Dog Trainers Note How Men and Women May Train Differently
Subscribers Only Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. Dogs are from Neptune. A well-known trainer recently made a public comment about men’s inability to act silly with their dogs, to the detriment of their ability to use positive training methods effectively. Are we really three alien species, destined to live forever in a world of miscommunication and misinterpretation? Is one gender truly better suited to bridge the communication gap between the human and canine species?
Consistent Dog Training With Regards to Men and Women
Subscribers Only In general, men tend to be more physical with their dogs, and more assertive, enjoying rough-and-tumble wrestling games and expecting the dog to understand and obey. Women tend to be softer, more into cuddling than wrestling, and take more interest in teaching the dog to understand the complex world of primate (human) communication.
Probiotics Boost Canine Overall Health
Subscribers Only Who hasn’t heard of “friendly” or “beneficial” bacteria? Even acidophilus, once a confusing tongue-twister, has become as familiar as yogurt, in which it’s the active ingredient. One reason beneficial bacteria have worked their way into the public’s consciousness is the excellent press they have received for helping repair damage done by antibiotics. Broad-spectrum antibiotics target not one but all strains of bacteria, leaving us thoroughly disinfected.
Newsbriefs
Subscribers Only Writing this column is always the last thing I do before sending an issue of WDJ to press. At this moment, I’m 24 hours away from taking my desk apart and loading it and my computer – the very last things in my former home and home-based office – into my car for the trip north to my new home-based office. With my attention (and family!) scattered all over the state, please forgive the news-dispatch…
